so i was able to return to school this semester after taking last semester off, and was feeling great until i started tapering off the prednisone again. i seriously love and hate that drug. and i can never seem to get below 10mg without starting to get sick again.
this helped us come to the conclusion that the humira hasn't really been doing its job, and i've been feeling well thanks solely to the pred.
soooo we're trying remicade, which is given by infusion. so i've been home most of this week seeing my doc and getting my first remicade infusion.
i'm really hoping this works again. i was on remicade about 5 years ago and it was a huge help...until i switched doctors and he decided to take me off of it because he thought it was too risky.
so this year after everything that happened over the summer, i switched docs again, am back at duke, and my wonderful team of doctors there want to try remicade again. praying for remission again!! it's been a while, and i'd love to be back at that place without being on prednisone.
so there's that. hope everyone is well. :)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
old but good
so recently i went and read through some of my old posts on xanga, which i never use anymore. there was some interesting stuff, and one post i came across was the best read of all.
it was a good reminder for me, and no less true now than it was then. so i've decided to repost it. enjoy:
"all right. here it is. only it may not be as long and intelligent as i'd hoped and planned. mainly because i'm more distracted tonight than i'd anticipated. but i have decided to write an entry in response to kyle's post on us girls. which i was very thankful to read.
ok, here's a nice beginning: guys are jerks. girls, admit it. you've made that statement maybe a million times. either we've been hurt, disappointed, or even disgusted by a guy, and we come to that exact conclusion. we expect them to live up to our expectations of a handsome prince, or at least a knight in shining armor, ready to sweep us off our feet. but is that an impossible expectation? do we aim too high in our search for manhood? i think NOT. never settle, girls. never settle. but there's another question to be asked: when guys fail to meet the expectations we have for them, why have they failed? is it their own fault? sure it is. but i think that society should take much of the blame for it as well. and so should we. yes girls, some of it is our fault too. we may want a prince, but sometimes we treat men as much less than the godly leaders they are designed by God to be. we disrespect them by our behavior (flirting), our immodest dress, our condescending ways/speech, our lack of acceptance of their leadership, and many other ways as well. these are brothers in Christ, and i know that there are those out there who desire to honor Him and in turn honor women, but we should at least do our best to make it easier on them. we could pay more attention to dressing modestly and guarding their hearts, their thoughts. we could encourage them when they are gentlemen- a guy who opens the door open for you should be complimented and appreciated. the more we build them up, the more they rise up to a role as godly leaders, right? as for society's role in destroying masculinity, do i even need to go there?? i'm not going to suggest you run and read wild at heart or anything crazy (and distorted) like that, but i will say that manhood has been completely lost amongst the acceptance of homesexuality, feminism, and the like. the roles have been blurred. (and this is where the family begins to crumble, but we can discuss that at a later date.) feminism is the biggest to blame, i think. if men are weaker today than they ever were, it is because they have allowed women to barge in and adopt the leadership role as theirs. so many women today are stronger than men, in conversation, in assertiveness, in the business world, etc. if a guy does not step up or initiate in a situation where he should be doing just that, the last thing a girl should do is take over. that happens way too much. and it's painful. girls need to give guys room to be leaders. they are completely capable. if we want their respect, let's give them theirs. i know that there are true men out there, who, if given the opportunity, will lead with vigor, and strive for godliness. guys really can be jerks. society tells us to accept that fact, that all they want is sex, that they cheat on their wives and read playboy and then go out with their friends to drink and brag about it all and that it is all OKAY. but we can expect so much more than men like this. guys, don't compromise. don't ever just accept the fact that society expects you to be a lazy, drunk, disrespectful door mat. there is much more to achieve. ladies, please don't forget to encourage the guys you know. they are your brothers in Christ. expect much of them, but do what you can to respect and help them out too.
so i'm just about done saying what i wanted to say. more than done. my thoughts seem very scattered to me, but maybe that's because i drove 45 minutes through a monsoon to church tonight and was pretty scared. or maybe because i have work tomorrow just before three girls come stay with us for ten days while they're here from omaha helping our church with vbs. either way, i hope what i've said or tried to say made some sense, maybe even struck a chord with you.
D.C.: Lloyd, why do you have to be like this?
Lloyd Dobler: 'Cause I'm a guy. I have pride.
Corey Flood: You're not a guy.
Lloyd Dobler: I am.
Corey Flood: No. The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don't be a guy.
-say anything
and more importantly: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23"
it was a good reminder for me, and no less true now than it was then. so i've decided to repost it. enjoy:
"all right. here it is. only it may not be as long and intelligent as i'd hoped and planned. mainly because i'm more distracted tonight than i'd anticipated. but i have decided to write an entry in response to kyle's post on us girls. which i was very thankful to read.
ok, here's a nice beginning: guys are jerks. girls, admit it. you've made that statement maybe a million times. either we've been hurt, disappointed, or even disgusted by a guy, and we come to that exact conclusion. we expect them to live up to our expectations of a handsome prince, or at least a knight in shining armor, ready to sweep us off our feet. but is that an impossible expectation? do we aim too high in our search for manhood? i think NOT. never settle, girls. never settle. but there's another question to be asked: when guys fail to meet the expectations we have for them, why have they failed? is it their own fault? sure it is. but i think that society should take much of the blame for it as well. and so should we. yes girls, some of it is our fault too. we may want a prince, but sometimes we treat men as much less than the godly leaders they are designed by God to be. we disrespect them by our behavior (flirting), our immodest dress, our condescending ways/speech, our lack of acceptance of their leadership, and many other ways as well. these are brothers in Christ, and i know that there are those out there who desire to honor Him and in turn honor women, but we should at least do our best to make it easier on them. we could pay more attention to dressing modestly and guarding their hearts, their thoughts. we could encourage them when they are gentlemen- a guy who opens the door open for you should be complimented and appreciated. the more we build them up, the more they rise up to a role as godly leaders, right? as for society's role in destroying masculinity, do i even need to go there?? i'm not going to suggest you run and read wild at heart or anything crazy (and distorted) like that, but i will say that manhood has been completely lost amongst the acceptance of homesexuality, feminism, and the like. the roles have been blurred. (and this is where the family begins to crumble, but we can discuss that at a later date.) feminism is the biggest to blame, i think. if men are weaker today than they ever were, it is because they have allowed women to barge in and adopt the leadership role as theirs. so many women today are stronger than men, in conversation, in assertiveness, in the business world, etc. if a guy does not step up or initiate in a situation where he should be doing just that, the last thing a girl should do is take over. that happens way too much. and it's painful. girls need to give guys room to be leaders. they are completely capable. if we want their respect, let's give them theirs. i know that there are true men out there, who, if given the opportunity, will lead with vigor, and strive for godliness. guys really can be jerks. society tells us to accept that fact, that all they want is sex, that they cheat on their wives and read playboy and then go out with their friends to drink and brag about it all and that it is all OKAY. but we can expect so much more than men like this. guys, don't compromise. don't ever just accept the fact that society expects you to be a lazy, drunk, disrespectful door mat. there is much more to achieve. ladies, please don't forget to encourage the guys you know. they are your brothers in Christ. expect much of them, but do what you can to respect and help them out too.
so i'm just about done saying what i wanted to say. more than done. my thoughts seem very scattered to me, but maybe that's because i drove 45 minutes through a monsoon to church tonight and was pretty scared. or maybe because i have work tomorrow just before three girls come stay with us for ten days while they're here from omaha helping our church with vbs. either way, i hope what i've said or tried to say made some sense, maybe even struck a chord with you.
D.C.: Lloyd, why do you have to be like this?
Lloyd Dobler: 'Cause I'm a guy. I have pride.
Corey Flood: You're not a guy.
Lloyd Dobler: I am.
Corey Flood: No. The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don't be a guy.
-say anything
and more importantly: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23"
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